Running back Saquon Barkley isn’t paying attention to the hype surrounding the New York Jets this season
The New York Jets have been receiving plenty of hype going into the 2023 season. After all, when a team acquires a four-time NFL MVP in Aaron Rodgers (which the GM himself admitted was “very unrealistic”) and gets chosen for HBO’s Hard Knocks, all eyes will be hyper-focused on the team.
Some people aren’t buying the hype – nor do they care for it. Count New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley among the latter.
Barkley grew up a Jets fan. He understands the excitement surrounding the Gang Green fan base this season. For the first time in a long time, the team has greater aspirations just sneaking into the playoffs. The Jets truly have Super Bowl potential if everything clicks. Barkley concedes that the Jets have “a good thing going on”, and looks forward to playing them this season.
“I was a Jets fan going up, so I can see why there’s a lot of buzz going on,” Barkley told Fox News on Sunday. “Having a guy like Aaron Rodgers, that caliber of player that he is, the type of talent that he is. They got a good thing going over there, and it’s going to be fun when we get to play them in a couple weeks in October.”
Despite the admission, Barkley isn’t focused on the Jets – or their hype.
“I don’t care for [the hype] to be honest,” Barkley exclaimed. “That’s just not really what matters. All that matters is going out there and winning football games and the rest is going to take care of itself.”
To Barkley’s credit, he does have a point. In the end, all that matters is wins and losses. If the Jets aren’t able to ride the momentum to a deep playoff run, it was all for naught. The Jets will take on the Giants in Week 8 in what looks poised to be an excellent matchup.
